Five-time Olympic medallist Ohno sets sights on mining more gold

VANCOUVER — When Jae Su Chun was hired to coach the U.S. short-track speedskating team in 2007, he inherited one of the most talented skaters in the world. But it came with a disclaimer.

Yes, Apolo Anton Ohno was a five-time Olympic medallist. But in the months after he won his second gold medal in 2006, he was better known as the skater with the soul patch who teamed with Julianne Hough to win season four of Dancing with the Stars.

Ohno had taken a year off from the rink to appear on the reality show so when he returned, Chun was understandably worried about his athletes' headspace.

Would Ohno, who receives movie offers almost as frequently as he does fan mail, leave the sport for Hollywood? Would his ego overwhelm a young American team? And, most importantly, would he be focused enough to train for a third Olympics?

"I don't want to lose my athletes to be a superstar," said Chun, who is a bit of a showman himself with blond highlights in his hair and a pair of shocking white eyeglasses on his face. "It's a different life there. They see something different and love it there and leave. Very bad for me."

As though Ohno had somehow sensed his coach's trepidation, an e-mail appeared in Chun's inbox about four months ago. Attached was a picture of Ohno celebrating after having won the 500-metre race in the 2006 Olympics. In the body of the text he had written: "Jimmy, we need this one. We need this one."

Turns out, Ohno was just as concerned about his coach's mental state.

"Sometimes a coach is tired," said Chun, who briefly coached the Canadians during the 2006-07 season. "You go up and down, up and down. He catch me when I was down and sent me the e-mail and said, 'you need to wake up. We need the same memories again. We need the gold medal.' "

Ohno, in fact, needs two more medals if he is to become America's most decorated skater in the sport. He is already tied with Eric Heiden with five medals and is one behind Bonnie Blair's seven.

Both Heiden and Blair have won five gold medals during their careers.

"Short track is not a sport where you give predictions," Ohno, who has declined interviews in the past three days, said at a news conference on Tuesday. "But I definitely want to stand on the podium."

The first of his four chances to accomplish that task will come Saturday in the 1,500-metre race.

Ohno is considered a favourite in that distance, which he won in the 2002 Olympics. Having grown up in nearby Seattle — and with a condo in the Vancouver area — he is expected to have an army of fans that could end up drowning out the support for Quebec-born Charles Hamelin. But Chun believes Ohno will finish first because of what he will be doing differently on the ice this time around.

In the past two Olympics, Ohno relied on brute strength to blow by his competition. He was a power skater. And, in a sport that is as much about race strategy as it is skill, the only thing he seemed to be thinking about was going really, really fast.

While that may have worked in 2002 and 2006, the self-proclaimed "grandpa" of short track speedskating has changed his approach.

"Twenty-eight, in short track, is the oldest age," said Chun, who has slowly transformed Ohno into a more technical skater. "I said, 'Apolo, you are a beginner now. You forget that you are a champion and all that.'

"With a special skater like Apolo, it's so easy to coach. If every skater were like him, it would be so much easier. He very much listens and follows what I want. He's a professional."

Indeed, follow Ohno on Twitter and you do not get posts about walking on the red carpet or partying with friends. Instead, you get a daily output of his weight ("20 pounds lighter than 2002") body fat ("2.8 per cent") and strength ("lifting double the amount of weight").

Whether this will propel him to gold and glory, no one knows for sure, especially in a sport where competitors crash as much as NASCAR drivers. But, as far as his coach is concerned, Ohno has done enough where Chun can now start worrying about the team's other skaters.

"I guess it's over," Chun said of the Ohno's preparation. "I'm just waiting for which colour."

mtraikos@nationalpost.com

Share

Five-time Olympic medallist Ohno sets sights on mining more gold

Video

Sports Highlights

Best of Postmedia

The mystery of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 has captivated the world for more than four years, but for two retired Ottawa air accident investigators, it all comes down to six seconds. And the evidence from those final moments before the Boeing 777 disappeared into the Indian Ocean is irrefutable, say Larry Vance and Terry Heaslip. “We […]

At first she was tearful, then she was horrified. The young woman had just discovered a cellphone that was recording her as she took her clothes off in an Ottawa doctor’s examining room. Confronted, the doctor insisted that the video was for “training purposes” and deleted it in front of her. Incredulous, she refused to […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.